1st - 3rd June 2020

Wednesday, 3rd June: A real change in the weather this morning, with a cool and overcast start giving way to intermittent spells of drizzly rain.........

Selsey Bill: Just the usual mix of species this morning, though a few more Mediterranean Gulls than of late were present. (AH/IP)
(0630-0800hrs) (N, F2)
Gannet - 2E, 14W
Common Scoter - 8E
Oystercatcher - 1E
Mediterranean Gull - 2E, 5W, 2os
Sandwich Tern - c30os
Common Tern - 5E, 1W
Little Tern - 1os
Swift - 2
Swallow - 2
Goldfinch - 7

Sandwich Tern (above), Little Tern, Common Tern & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were 18 Avocets back on the pool today, along with four Redshank, 24 Black-tailed Godwits and 16 Shelducks, whilst a Goldcrest was singing from the fir tree in the EA yard. (AH)
This evening a female Ruff was on the pool. (AB et al)

Avocets on the Ferry (AH)

East Head: The Quail was still calling from the arable field alongside the beach access road this morning and a Barn Owl was hunting nearby. (per ESt)

Church Norton: It was quiet on the high tide, though the usual mix of Little, Common and Sandwich Terns were present and waders comprised of a large flock of Ringed Plovers near the harbour mouth, 21 Turnstones, a Dunlin, a Grey Plover and a few Oystercatchers. (IP)

North Wall: This morning there were at least seven Cattle Egrets around Owl Copse and the adjacent field, where the farmer has very helpfully put some cows! There were also plenty of Grey Herons and Little Egrets about, with a Cuckoo calling to the north and a few Whitethroats and Reed Warblers were still singing.
A Common Tern was feeding around the Breech Pool, where there was also a drake Teal and a few Tufted Ducks, but the only birds of note in the harbour on the high tide were a drake Wigeon and five Ringed Plovers. (AH/IH)

Cattle Egrets (above), Cattle Egret, Grey Heron and Little Egret, Ringed Plovers & Common Tern at the North Wall (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to Stilt Pool - Two Cuckoos were around the poplars again, along with a Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk, whilst out in the middle of the reserve close to the Stilt Pools was an Osprey 
The pools themselves held a pair of Lapwings with four very small chicks, nine Avocets, eight Gadwall, the Mute Swan and Canada Geese families, a Redshank, a Greenshank, a Little Ringed Plover, a Ringed Plover, but there was no sign of the nesting Oystercatchers so hopefully they were successful and moved their family on.
Also around were several Linnets, Skylarks, Yellowhammers, Whitethroats and Reed Buntings. (SR)

Lapwings at Medmerry (SR)

Tuesday, 2nd June: The breeze had freshened and shifted north this morning, but it was another warm and sunny day after a bit of light cloud early on.........

Selsey Bill: As quiet as might be expected, though five Common Scoters and five Sanderling went east and Fulmars went both east and west. (CN/AH/IP)
(0630-0800hrs) (N, F3)
Fulmar - 1E, 1W
Gannet - 12E, 3W
Common Scoter - 5E
Oystercatcher - 4E, 1W
Sanderling - 5E
Sandwich Tern - c30os
Swift - 4
Swallow - 2
House Martin - 4

Common Scoters (above), Fulmar, Sandwich Tern & House Martin at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were just four Avocets, two Lapwing, five Redshank, 25 Black-tailed Godwits and similar of Shelducks around the pool this morning. (AH/CN)

Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits (above) & Black-tailed Godwit at the Ferry (AH)

The Ferry looking very dry at present (AH)

North Selsey: A Reed Warbler was singing from thick cover along the footpath from Manor Road to Manor Lane this morning. (SaH)

North Wall: A single Common Redshank was in White's Creek, whilst 7+ Long-tailed Tits  were along the Wall, a Common Tern was over the Breech Pool, a Lesser Whitethroat was near  Halsey's Farm and a Cuckoo was calling at Owl Copse. (IH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - An Osprey caught a fish from the water near the poplars at high hide this morning. Unusually, there was a Rock Pipit on one of the islands on the Stilt Pool, and there were also 17 Avocets, a Little Ringed Plover and a pair of Lapwing with three chicks there, too, with a cuckoo calling nearby. (CN)

Medmerry: Chainbridge to the Breach - A pair of Stonechats were by Chainbridge this morning, with Cuckoos calling against each other from nearby and towards Ham, with several Whitethroats and Reed Warblers in the adjacent rifes, plus one of the latter in the tiny patch of reeds at the base of the Breach Viewpoint...
Otherwise, the banks held several pairs of Meadow Pipits and Linnets, plus plenty of Skylarks, with a few Swallows over, but the tidal area by the Breach held nothing but four Oystercatchers and a few loafing large gulls, plus a drake Gadwall. Also, a few Meadow Browns and Common Blues were on the wing. (AH)

Stonechats (above), Meadow Pipit, Whitethroat, Linnet, Gadwall & Meadow Brown at Medmerry (AH)

West Wittering: A Quail was still calling in from the arable field east of the Witterings beach access road this morning.

Also, there were still a minimum of 15 of adult Avocets present with a minimum of 17 young seen and at least one more brood out of sight, so still very close to last week’s 21 chicks. The oldest three chicks I would now class as fledged, with another three very close to fledging. (PH)

Church Norton: There were 13 Turnstones on the metalwork, whilst a Peregrine was about and three Buzzards included a high bird which appeared to come in from the sea. (SaH)
This evening, a Sanderling, two Dunlin and c40 Ringed Plovers were on the mud and four Swallows - hopefully two pairs - were busy around the hide. (AH)

Dunlin (above) & Swallow at Church Norton (AH)

Monday, 1st June: More fine and sunny weather this morning, with the breeze remaining from the north-east, but a little lighter.....

Selsey Bill: Not much to report this morning, though a few Gannets went east and Fulmars went east and west. Full log below. (BI/AH/IP)

(0600-0800hrs) (NE, F4)

Fulmar - 1E, 1W

Gannet - 31E, 4W

Turnstone - 3W

Sandwich Tern - 20os

'Commic' Tern - 2E

Razorbill - 2E

auk sp - 1E, 1W

Swift - 5

Swallow - 2

House Martin - 1

Gannet (above) & Swift at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were eight Avocets on the fast drying-out pool this morning, along with four Redshank, two Lapwing, 22 Black-tailed Godwits and 25 Shelducks. (AH)

Black-tailed Godwits (above) & Shelducks on the Ferry (AH)

East Head: An update on the Avocets at Snowhill Creek -  there were a minimum of 18 adults, with a minimum of 21 young, in 8 broods (2 x 1, 3 x 2, 3 x 3, 1 x 4) and it is possible there were more young out there hiding in the undergrowth.

The oldest chicks, a brood of three, were very close to fledging and though evidently there will have been some nest losses, it  still looks like a highly productive spring, with, hopefully, many of the chicks getting to fledging now. (PH)

North Wall: Two Cattle Egrets flew west from Owl Copse this morning and six Little Egrets were in harbour.

Also, a Cuckoo was still about at Halsey's Farm, along with a Buzzard, a Swift, a Kestrel and a Great Spotted Woodpecker, whilst six Teal and a Shelduck were on the Breech Pool.  (IH/PC)

Church Norton: There were few waders about, but plenty of Terns, including 20+ Little, half a dozen Common and 100+ Sandwich, plus a couple of Mediterranean Gulls.

The bushes were quiet, with just the odd snatch of Whitethroat or Blackcap, whilst a few Linnets and Skylarks were along the spit and a couple of Swallows went over. (AH/BI)

Little Terns (above), Sandwich Tern & Linnet at Church Norton (AH)

Early this afternoon a first-summer Tern - presumably Common, but hard to be certain -was on the island. (IL)

Presumed first-summer Common Tern at Church Norton (IL)

This evening there was a good mix of waders on the mud, including a Knot, two Dunlin, 18 Sanderling, two Lapwings, ten Turnstones and c75 Ringed Plovers, presumably of the very late migrating far-northern sub-species. There were also at least half a dozen Mediterranean Gulls present. (AH)

Knot (above), Sanderling & Ringed Plovers at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - I was fortunate to see all three Cuckoos immediately in front of me this afternoon at the end of the lower spur off the main path, south of Grange Rife. One of the Cuckoos had been sitting in the small dead clump of trees most of the afternoon, calling steadily. It then dropped out of the tree and came closer to where I was standing, followed shortly thereafter by the other two. 

The original bird and one of the newcomers then perched on the fence close to one another, whilst the the other settled a bit further away. In due course they dispersed with one bird settling in the Poplars and another across the track in some bushes. After a while they flew towards one another and had a mild mid air skirmish before heading off. 

At the Stilt Pool, the Egyptian Geese and the Mute Swan family were still in residence along with a number of Cormorants and a single Lapwing. There were only about half a dozen Avocets and two Ringed or Little Ringed Plovers (I couldn’t see them clearly enough to decide which they were) present, whilst also a Reed Warbler was singing in the first reed bed.(ChE)

Cuckoos (above) & Reed Warbler at Medmerry (ChE)